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You police the Pacific: US THE US has formally recognised Australia's role as South Pacific policeman in the war on terror - but Canberra wants more back-up in the region from its superpower ally. Washington says Australia's professionalism in leading military coalitions in East Timor and the Solomon Islands has given the US confidence that it can let Canberra lead the way in future regional conflicts and assistance missions. But Australia, while generally happy with the direction of the 53-year-old ANZUS alliance, wants the US to take a more active role in providing financial and training support for Southeast Asian...

Transforming joint training in the Defense Department is a continual journey, Paul W. Mayberry, deputy undersecretary of defense for readiness, said at the Defense Transformation Efforts and Opportunities Conference here last week. "We are a nation at war," he said. "Because of our successes in these theaters, some have questioned the need to transform, but in fact it is the conditions from these wars that have only reinforced our necessity to transform the way that we train. "Today's world is complex and filled with uncertainty and surprise," he added. "We no longer fight against known enemies with standing armies, but...

Britain and Turkey pledged today to strengthen their cooperation against terrorism, following a memorial service in the grounds of the British Consulate in Istanbul, the site of a November suicide attack. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw stressed that attacks yesterday against Shiite Muslims in Iraq and Pakistan that killed at least 185 people showed the need for united efforts. “The fight against terrorism is an international fight and one which affects every one of us in the civilised world,” Straw told a news conference. He met Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and attended the memorial for British Consul-General Roger Short and...

SATIWAN, Afghanistan (AP) - In sight of Osama bin Laden's last known redoubt, and spitting distance from one of the least-tamed borders in the world, a group of young Afghan soldiers erected a lonely tent Monday - a humble outpost meant to discourage al-Qaida and Taliban fighters from slipping back and forth from Pakistan. The work is part of a U.S., Afghan, and Pakistani effort to cut off al-Qaida's mobility - and officials say they are hopeful it will produce results. Pakistani troops guided with U.S. satellite intercepts and local intelligence last week poured through the remote tribal region of...

The Japanese Cabinet has decided to sign an agreement with the United States to boost the sharing of military supplies and services if Japan is attacked. The pact allows the country for the first time to supply US forces with ammunition in the case of a sudden or foreseen assault on Japan, a Foreign Ministry official says. The previous agreement allowed only the sharing of supplies such as food and petroleum in the run up to a military contingency where a regional incident could threaten Japan's security. Japan's constitution bans the use of force in settling international disputes but it...

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- In a Feb. 26 ceremony in the Pentagon, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark and Australian Chief of Navy Vice Adm. Christopher Ritchie signed a statement of principles for enhanced cooperation between the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy on matters relating to maritime surface warfare capability. Clark signed a similar statement related to submarine warfare with Ritchie’s predecessor at the Washington Navy Yard Sept. 10, 2001, one day before terrorist attacks on America shifted the focus of the nation and the Navy to the war on terrorism. “In the days since that last agreement, we’ve...

Gwalior: The United States is examining India's case for placing Indo-US military ties under the ambit of its Central Command, rather than the Pacific Command, a senior US military official said. "We are considering India's case," the US Air Attache Col John Albert Hill said in response to a question on the Indian intention to route Indo-US defence cooperation, including joint exercises with the Florida-based Central Command, which is responsible for the West Asian and the Central Asian region. Speaking during a briefing on the penultimate day of 'Cope India-04', the ten-day joint fighter exercise being carried out by the...

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India's air force will take part for the first time in military exercises with NATO countries in July in Alaska, a newspaper report said. India and the United States have held joint military exercises but this will be the first time the Indian Air Force (IAF) will team up in manoeuvres with British, German and Turkish forces, the Statesman newspaper said. The report came as the Indian and US air forces held their first-ever aerial combat games in the skies over the central Indian city of Gwalior. Military relations between India and western powers have warmed...

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan Wednesday denied that it had teamed up with the US and launched a joint operation against terrorists along its border with Afghanistan , reports Xinhua. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told a television station: "There will be no joint operation by Pakistan and the US troops either in Pakistan or in Afghanistan ." If the Americans want to launch an operation, they will do it inside Afghanistan , he said. Pakistan shares with Afghanistan a 2,500-km border. It has deployed nearly 70,000 military troops along the border to stop the infiltration by the Taliban and Al Qaida...

WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Tuesday that his troops are stepping up efforts to capture Osama bin Laden and ousted Taliban leader Mullah Omar, maintaining that the "sand in their hour glass is running out." Briefing Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, Army Lt. Gen. David Barno said the United States and Pakistan are improving cooperation in efforts to eradicate al-Qaida elements, using a "hammer and anvil approach" that will drive the terrorists out of Pakistan and across the Afghan border. Barno also confirmed reports that the Pakistani military has entered tribal...

U.S. Marines Arrive at Former American Navy Base in Philippines to Take Part in Combat ExercisesSUBIC, Philippines Feb. 15 — A contingent of 700 U.S. Marines disembarked Sunday at the site of a former American naval base to take part in combat exercises intended to help the Philippines fight Muslim and communist insurgencies and guard against terror attacks. About 2,500 Marines from the U.S. base in Okinawa, Japan, will take part in live-fire combat maneuvers called "Balikatan," or "shoulder-to-shoulder," from Feb. 23 to March 7. The rest of the American troops are scheduled to arrive within a week. The Marine...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. PARIS, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- France will build a second aircraft carrier with conventional rather than nuclear propulsion, paving the way for cooperation in the project with Britain, President Jacques Chirac's office said Friday. "Following a proposal from the (British) prime minister, the president of the republic has chosen classic propulsion for the second aircraft carrier that France is due to acquire," the Elyseepalace said in a statement. "The choice brings a response that is perfectly adapted to the operational needs of the coming decades and opens better perspectives of cooperation...

NEW DELHI, Feb. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- After a gap of three decades, Indian and American fighter jets will again jointly practice battle maneuvers for 10 days in Gwalior,in central India's Madhya Pradesh, from the middle of this month, the Hindu, a leading English newspaper, reported Friday. The joint fighter exercise is part of Vajpayee Government's policy to encourage greater interaction by the three wings of India's armed forces on a one-to-one basis with their counterparts of "friendly" countries, the paper said. Indian Air Force (IAF) held an exercise with the French at the same venue exactly a year ago. The...

Communist guerrillas threatened Wednesday to attack American troops participating in annual war exercises in the Philippines later this month if they stray into rebel zones. About 2,500 U.S. Marines and 2,300 Filipino soldiers will take part in major combat and live-fire maneuvers from Feb. 23 to March 4. The exercises, involving 46 American assault and transport aircraft, will bring U.S. troops near security hotspots, including Dinglayan Bay off Aurora, a mountainous province 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of Manila, where New People's Army guerrillas are active. The Philippine exercise director, Brig. Gen. Rafael Romero, said there is a plan for...

Britain and France are to take a bold step towards closer defence co-operation, joining forces to create a string of highly trained, rapid-deployment units for combat in jungle, desert and mountain operations. As the leaders of France, Germany and Britain prepare to meet next week in a three-way summit that could deepen their mutual co-operation, London and Paris have drawn up detailed plans covering the deployment of Anglo-French battlegroups. The ambitious plan, to be unveiled this week, is part of a strategy by France and Britain to beef up Europe's defence and for the European Union to take on more...

MUNICH - Speaking at a press conference in Munich, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia and NATO would arrange large joint military exercises in 2004. He spoke highly of Russia-NATO cooperation in 2003, noting that Russia did not feel isolated from the NATO under the leadership of Sir George Robertson, who resigned from as NATO Secretary General late last year. Other achievements made by Russian and NATO experts include progress made in anti-missile defense equipment; development of operational compatibility of military units. “This all is happening with consideration of Russia and NATO mutual interests”, he noted. Also, Russia and...

A SWAG of high-powered delegates from around the world - including 20 ministers and nine deputy ministers - met in Bali yesterday to begin laying the groundwork for increased co-operation in the fight against terrorism. The joint Indonesia-Australia conference was the culmination of months of planning, and sought to foster alliances particularly in law enforcement co-operation. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the evolving role of police forces in the region had become central in the drive to counter terrorists. "A few decades ago, it would have been highly unusual to have police and foreign ministers meeting to discuss a common...

HUNTER RQ-5A TACTICAL UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE, USA/ISRAEL Hunter is a joint tactical unmanned aerial system in service with the US Army. In 1989, the US Army, Navy and Marines initiated a joint unmanned aerial vehicle programme. TRW (now Northrop Grumman) and Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) Malat Division won a low rate initial production (LRIP) contract in 1993 to supply seven Hunter systems. The systems entered service in 1996. Hunter has also been sold to France and Belgium. The Hunter system is capable of carrying out the following missions: real time imagery intelligence, artillery adjustment, battle damage assessment, reconnaissance and surveillance,...

On Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 1, the U.S. military will be hard at work protecting players and fans alike. The North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command are taking appropriate actions to deter and defeat any possible threats against Sunday's game and festivities, according to Mike Perini, both commands' director of public affairs. "The NORAD and USNORTHCOM staffs have reviewed possible scenarios surrounding Sunday's game and will be monitoring the various information sources to ensure they maintain the best possible situational awareness," said Perini. He noted that the two commands maintain constant vigilance and plan and execute...

Maritime Assistance Agency Coordinates Rescue Operationby Fifth Fleet Public AffairsMANAMA, Bahrain – Pakistani fishermen adrift in the Gulf of Oman near Iranian territorial waters were rescued by the Iranian Coast Guard today after receiving assistance from the New Zealand Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The stranded dhow, Al Kaseem, and its crew of three were spotted by a passing Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-3K maritime patrol aircraft of RNZAF’s 5 Squadron, then on a routine patrol flight over the Gulf of Oman in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The P-3’s crew contacted the nearest coalition...